Determination... Yet Another Attempt at Maintaining This Blog!

Well, here I am yet again with another go at this old blog of mine, a project spawned out of too much spare time and I suppose some loneliness. A place I know again at this current point in my life, but under much different circumstances this time around. When first I started this blog, I was a freshly divorced bachelor regaining my place in the world after surviving a rancorous ex-wife and the fallout of the hostile end to our marriage. Anyone who knows me wouldn't find it surprising that I found consolation in music, though I appreciate the irony in the fact that music was what drew me to my ex-wife in the first place as I met her after she sang in a local coffee shop in 2003. I never imagined on that night I'd be her husband some six months later, her ex-husband another four years later. But such is life, and what's done is done, and now all cliches aside I am on my own again under much different though sad circumstances.

I'm old enough to understand that life is full of relationships that we all begin with "hello" and sooner or later end with "good bye". I also know and accept the hurt that follows the good byes and realise no matter what you may try to bring it down in one piece you're not going to walk away from that crash unscathed in the end. I guess that's where I've lingered the last while, but I'm on my feet. Not flight ready, but I'll be there again. I'm just not in any hurry for it. I am just too weary of all the good byes I have known. So I think until that feeling subsides I'll make do without any new "hello"s. I'll pass the time with my books, with songs, with movies, with people I care for, and the creative endeavours that have recently come my way. I'm lonely at times for certain, and when its really bad then I really take stock in keeping busy or if it's late I take myself to bed and sometimes I can lose those feelings in sleep. I'd thought about trying to find a counselor, but I just simply can't afford it without any insurance. So I'll make due. It'll be alright. I always tried to avoid filling this blog with too much personal stuff, but maybe it'll help to occasionally say something so that I can say it somewhere on nights when there's just no one else. I feel in a way my life this summer is retreading places and hurts I knew very well that summer of 2007, and fortunately I still have the comfort of something that got me through that time which was the music of Jens Lekman. My craze with Swedish indie music really blossomed that summer, and the wonder of the music and the distractions is provided me still remain. It's time to try to sleep tonight, but I think I'll take this with me.

Fascination... Gotye

Released on July 6th, this is the new single from Gotye, the recording name of multi-instrumental musician Wouter De Backer who is Belgian-born but grew up in Australia. He's one third of the Aussie indie pop band, The Basics, and the only musician I've ever heard of that will be traveling with a ten piece orchestra and a team of animators in order to compose his live shows.

This is his newest single, "Somebody That I Used To Know" featuring fellow Melbourne musician, Kimbra.

Appreciation... Loheem

I adore this summer perfect song so much that I'm posting both of Loheem's versions of the song and video! If you're unaware of the talent of this lovely French chanteuse, learn more about her music at herofficial site!

Appreciation... Papercuts

Papercuts of the very best variety! Here's two tracks from the full length album, Fading Parade, available via CD, Vinyl, and MP3 via Sub Pop Records.

"Do What You Will"


"Do You Really Wanna Know"

Appreciation... Shed 7

Bit of Brit Pop nostalgia here this afternoon while I enjoy some music as I to some stuff around my apartment. I really loved Shed 7's song, "Chasing Rainbows", in 1998. A very good year for me as I was working both at Media Play and got my first go at Comix Connection!

Oddly enough, this video is how I discovered David Lean's film, A Brief Encounter, after I went looking for the book the guy in the train car's reading. Turned out there really wasn't a book, as the film was personally adapted by Noel Coward from his own screenplay, Still Life. From my experience watching A Brief Encounter, I went on to watch a lot of other British films from the time period, such as Carol Reed's films, The Third Man and Fallen Idol, which then introduced me to writer Graham Greene. Thus my appreciation for Lean, Coward, Reed, and Greene was born out of my affection for a 4 minute pop song.

Appreciation... Copenhagen Collaboration

I think this has to be the most epic assemblage I have ever seen come together, and their rendition of the Band of Horses' song "Funeral" deserves this kind of talented treatment and handling! Just watch this video and experience their love for this song yourself!

Infatuation... Jammie Dodgers!

I found these wonderful little biscuits in the international foods section today at my local Wegman's and finding them truly made my day! As both a Whovian and junk food connoisseur, I am truly delighted by this discovery!